Springing Into Action at the Laidlaw Facility

It's not spring, but don't tell that to the folks at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at the University of California, Davis.

Today bee breeder-geneticist Michael "Kim" Fondrk mowed the lush green grass around the apiary. Bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey, manager of the Laidlaw facility, continued preparing for a series of specialized bee courses. She tended the hives with beekeeper and junior specialist Elizabeth Frost and beekeeper Tylan Selby, a first-year entomology student. 

The conference room buzzed with ideas for an upcoming tour.  Following the meeting, Extension Apiculturist Eric Mussen of the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty talked "bees 'n almonds" with Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology on the UC Davis campus. Yang will be conducting the first of what will probably be many tours at the Laidlaw facility.

The tours will include the half-acre Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven and the quarter-acre Campus Buzzway. Both are bee friendly gardens that will provide a year-around food source for the bees, and educational opportunities for visitors. 

Meanwhile, oblivious to the people activity, the bees continued to gather pollen and nectar from nearby almond trees. 

"The queen bees are really busy laying eggs," Cobey said. That means more workers, more drones and more queen bees.

During the peak season, a queen bee can lay 2000 eggs a day, Cobey said.

That's definitely springing into action.